Business Communication & I.T. Tips from the 2 Big Telecom Guys

7 Tips on Planning and Questions Before You Move Your Business- Avoid the Pain at the Last Minute

by Rob Metras and Jeff Brodie

Moving locations is a major planning exercise. It can also present the most important business decisions for the business- not just the IT and physical work. Here are some tips as to questions you should be asking before the selection of the new location and lease negotiations.

1. Have we considered growth and new technology/cost reducers in lease negotiations? Do we have the right property? Is there sufficient room to grow as your business expands.You should look at this both from the physical and the telecom/it standpoint.

2. Does the new location have the required services we need? How close is it to fibre, redundant sources of telecom feeds, local central office ? What bandwidth we had yesterday may not what we need for the future. Is there room to grow? Some telecom services are dependant on distance from the nearest central office.

3. Selection of services (Telco,power, backup power) Are there a good choice of services in the area? Will we have options on carrier services, both in choice of carrier and services offered. is there backup power or UPS power sources installed or we will have to have our own power backup?

4. Is it already cabled? Does it have a map of what is prewired in building? Much extra work may be required to inspect cabling and determine if it is up to current standards and can meet our needs economically. You should ensure that if so you have a detailed map of cable in conjunction with the buildings plans.

5. What are environmental conditions for equipment, cool room for servers? Servers may require extra cooling and air conditioning, or even raised floors. Is the necessary equipment in place or is new equipment required to keep our high tech equipment from overheating.

6. What is the capacity of power cabling, does the telephone equipment room have enough capacity? The requirement for enough power for photocopiers, server equipment as well as all office . Are there enough electrical circuits for our needs ?

7. Can we get the install costs covered in the inducements or rental improvements? Do we have massive capital expenditures in the move or is the landlord allowing you a sum of money as an inducement to move, covering our costs.